“Solid waste management in New York City has undergone dramatic changes over the past few years with out-of-state waste transport and disposal, replacing in-city municipal waste disposal, due to closure of the Fresh Kills landfill,” Colton says. “Furthermore, recent changes in New York City’s recycling program are having impacts that, although not yet revealed in this report, will be evident in future reports,” he adds.
The report’s findings show that 7.4 million tons of the MSW stream were recycled, representing 29.8 percent of the total waste stream, an increase of 370,000 tons from 2000. The amount of waste exported to other states increased 1.3 million tons to 7.1 million tons in 2001. The report attributes this to the final diversion of waste from New York City’s Fresh Kills landfill. In 2001, 6.6 million tons of waste were disposed at the state’s 28 operating MSW landfills, a decrease of 960,000 tons from 2000. Finally, generation of MSW in New York State was 24.8 million tons in 2001, which was 740,000 tons, or 3.1 percent, higher than the amount generated in 2000.
Copies of Where Will the Garbage Go? 2002 are available by phoning the Solid Waste Commission at (518) 455-3711 or at www.assembly.state.ny.us.